Men’s Basketball team partners with OWN IT, powered by WHOOP
PLATTEVILLE, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin-Platteville men’s basketball team has partnered with OWN IT, powered by WHOOP, to provide action based behavioral training and habit recommendations. WHOOP is one of the most advanced wearable devices which monitors student-athletes’ recovery, sleep, training and health. Through the device, the OWN IT technology processes biometrics readings and provides actionable insights and personalized habit and lifestyle recommendations through behavioral science-based coaching.
Head strength and conditioning coach Michael Martin said, "We have seen a shift in our student-athletes' behaviors. They are beginning to be much more cognizant about their daily habits and how it affects their sleep health and recovery. The educational and data-driven feedback has been both great for the student-athlete and the coaching staff. The data has already helped us make more evidence-based decisions on practice and training schedules. This technology and the partnership with OWN IT is a competitive advantage not only on the court, but in life.” OWN IT and WHOOP analyze key biometrics such as heart rate variability (HRV) and resting heart rate while measuring training activities and daily effort in order to understand times to rest or push the student-athletes. Additionally, the OWN IT digital experience exposes an Athlete Wellness Score, driven by HRV adaptation, which shows athletes their resilience and wellness improvements over time. "It has been a privilege to serve the student athletes at Platteville and to see the wellness gains being experienced. It has been clear from day one that Coach Gard, Coach Martin and the entire athletic department at Platteville care about empowering their student athletes to own their best selves on the court, in the classroom and beyond. When wellness is optimized, true performance can be realized," said Nicholas Wooters, Health and Human Performance Specialist at OWN IT. In conjunction with the technology, the team has partnered with the UW-Platteville Health and Human Performance Department under the oversight of Dr. Ben Krings. Through the partnership, UW-Platteville students are conducting a longitudinal study to measure changes in the athletes’ physiology throughout the season.
Following the conclusion of the basketball season and the HHP study, the staff will evaluate the changes in behavior and habits and identify how to further use the technology for student-athletes health and development.